Supporting device.



H. M. BELL.-

SUPPORTING DEVISE.

APPLIOATION FILED 111111.14, 1912.

1,065,022. Patented June 17, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. M. BELL.

SUPPORTING DEVICE. APPLIoATloN FILED MAR.14, 1912.

Patented June 17, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W/TTNESSEJ Hai/VM .55u

7' 7' RNE Y RAPH C0 HELEN IVI. BELL, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

SUPPORTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 17, 1913.

Application filed March 14, 1912. Serial No. 683,689.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HELEN M. BELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of San Francisco, county of San Francisco, State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSupporting Devices, whereof the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a device to be used in tailor or dressmakingestablishments for supporting the body of a cust-omer in a givenposition while fitting or adjusting a garment.

In the above mentioned operation considerable time is consumed to obtainthe form or shape desired while the customer for which the garment isbeing made stands still in an erect position without any means ofsupport or rest as heretofore and which position is very tiresome andoften the cause of a great deal of trouble, particularly to women indelicate health. Furthermore the operator has to walk around the bodymany times before completing the adjusting work.

The object, therefore, of my invention is to provide a simple andeffective device capable of rotation, elevation or depression forsupporting the body in a given position thus eliminating the variousobjections above mentioned.

In carrying out the object I have in view I provide a suitable base ofsubstantial and preferable heavy material and mounted upon casters sothat the same can be moved from place to place or fastened to the floorif desired. Upon the base I provide a revolving plate supported inposit-ion by ball bearings and a central holding pin engaging the base,and which form thel axis of the plate. To the upper end of the holdingpin 9 I secure permanently thereon a tube which forms an uprightstandard, in which slides a vertically adjustable supporting rod havingan angularly bent upper end upon which I secure an adjustable seat suchas may be used on bicycles. Along the shank of t-he standard, I providean adjustable arm projecting outwardly therefrom and at the end thereofI secure an adjustable bifurcated extension, the ends of which areprovided with resisting, padded knee plates, secured thereon in a swivelmanner. The means I propose to employ to secure in position the variousadjustable parts above mentioned will be described hereinafter.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings, I have illustrated myinvention in what I consider the best method to carry out the same inpractice and the novel combinations of its various parts will be pointedout in the claim at the end of the following description.

In the drawing: Figure l is a side elevation of my invention showing indotted line a body supported thereon as it appears in practice. Fig. 2,is a detailed side elevation of the supporting seat. Fig. 3, is aperspective view of the resisting padded knee plates and their adjacentparts. Fig. 4, is a central sectional view of the lower part of thedevice showing the construction and arrangement thereof and, Fig. 5, isa vertical cross section of a portion of the revolving plate showing'theadjust-ment of the feet thereon.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views of the drawings.

l, represents the base mounted on the casters 2 and provided with acentral raised portion 3 for the purpose of elevating the same from thefloor. Upon the upper side of the base fl, and formed integral therewithis an annular rib 4:, having an annular groove in its upper side. Theupper plate 6 is provided with an annular downwardly projecting flangeand an annular groove, which groove in conjunction with the groove inthe base forms a race in which are placed balls 5 to permit of the freerotation of the upper plate upon said base. The annular flange formed onthe upper plate 6, is adapted to overhang the rib t and form a runningjoint 7, by which arrangement I prevent the lower edges of the garmentbeing fitted from interfering with the revolving movement of the baseand upper plate.

Arranged in the center of the plate 6, and fixed therein is the verticalholding pin, consisting of the ends 8 and 9 and the collar 10, the saidcollar l0, being located intermediate the ends and adapted to form anabutment for the upper side of the plate 6, and the lower end of thetube 12. The end 8 of the holding pin is provided with an aperturethrough which extends the cotter pin 11, which prevents dislodgement ofthe vertical holding pin and retains the upper plate loosely in positionon the base, thus allowing free rotation of the said upper plate. At theupper end 9 of the holding pin, and permanently fixed thereto is thetube 12 in which slides the rod 13, upon the upper end of Which is thesaddle 16. Preferably near the upper end of the tube 12, I arrange athumbscrevv 14, by which I can adjust the saddle. Adjustably mounted ontube 12, is a collar 18, having the arm 19 and the thumbscrevv 20 bywhich the collar is held in an adjusted position. At the outer end ofrod 19, I adjustably secure the bifurcated, T shaped sleeve 21, to theends of' which are pivotally secured the knee .plates 23.

As shown in detail in Fig. 5, the toe rests in the depression 6 of theupper plate and the heel on the raised surface 24, by Which means thelimb, is given a slightpitch, for- AWard to make the users position morecomfort-able.

In operation the person, on Whom the garment is to be fitted, standsupon the plate 6, With her feet on the sides of the standard, her kneesresting on the plates 23 and the body resting upon the seat 16, thusbeing supported at three points While the fitting proceeds.

Having thus described and illustrated my invention to enable thoseskilled in the art to Which the same appertains to make and use thesame, and believing Il have produced Copies o this patent may beobtained for useful improvements in this class of inventions, What Iclaim and desire to secure by United States Patent is z- In a fittingstand, a base, an annular rib integral With said base having a groove inits upper surface, an upper plate, having a groove in its under side andan annular overhanging flange extending around its periphery, ballsinterposed between the base and plate Within the grooves, acentral pivotfixed tol the upper plate and projecting through the base, means at thelower end of' said pivot to prevent the same from being accidentallyremoved from the base plate, a tubular member secured to the upper endof the said pivo-t, a rod adapted to telescope in said tubular member,said rod carrying a seat, a collar adjustable on the tubular member,said collar carrying an arm, and means for holding rthe collar in itspositions of adjustment.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereto set my hand in thepresence of Witnesses, this 29th day of Feb. 1912.

HELEN M. BELL.

Witnesses:

SHERIDAN FoRBEs, JOHN S. PRELL.

ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D.C.

